Coasts

Fieldwork
and practical suggestions

The study of coastlines presents many opportunities for students to
undertake personal research or group fieldwork. Traditionally, work has
often concentrated on:

Aspects of coastal geomorphology such as cliff
retreat or beach profile mapping and sediment analysis

Coastal ecosystems and the way that they change along a transect directed inland

Competition
between different user groups

The predicted dire consequences of climate
change and sea-level rise mean that there are now plenty of opportunities
to incorporate this theme when undertaking a coastal study. For instance:

Students could look at historical tidal data to see if there is any
significant statistical evidence of an increase in extremely high tides.
Have return periods for extreme events remained constant over time
or are they occurring more frequently? Many coastal settlements have
public monuments (or similar) that show the height of record breaking
tides in the past, perhaps stretching as far back as the Middle Ages,
or even earlier.

Students working along the south coast could survey the inter-tidal
zone for evidence of ancient settlement. Many studies have shown that
evidence of Viking, Roman and earlier occupation can be found along
the lower shoreline around the Solent, for instance. What do these
tell us about changing sea levels in the area? What possible explanations
are there?

The Norfolk coast similarly offers opportunities for historical
investigations looking at old maps to see previous
shoreline positions and charting the extent of lost or abandoned land and properties.

A study
might look at the impact of rising tides and shifting shores on local
property markets - what happens to house prices in threatened areas?
Alternatively, what happens to prices when defenses are introduced
or improved?

The Edexcel examination suggests that coasts provide plenty
of opportunities for practical work/GIS, including satellite images to
show coastal change, maps to calculate coastal erosion, shoreline management
and statistics for coastal retreat and flooding. They suggest that students
could use primary and secondary sources to investigate and analyse the
pace and impacts of coastal erosion at Towyn, Start Bay or Holderness,
for instance.